CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 47: THAT YEAR, MOTHER DIED FOR HER...

Una Sutcliffe is dead, forever departed from this world.

Before she died, Una Sutcliffe had only one last wish.

Una Sutcliffe pleaded earnestly, begging Maxwell Parker to ensure her life was saved at any cost.

Maxwell Parker’s heartache was so intense that he could barely breathe. He could only agree, and it was then that Una Sutcliffe closed her eyes contently, and took her final breath.

Because of Una Sutcliffe’s death, she saved her own life.

She was sent to a barren mountainous region and given to an ’honest’ mountain folk family there for upbringing.

The living conditions of the mountain folk were poor; she lived a life of hunger, or perhaps never truly having a full meal.

Until she was five, at that age when memories started to form, she met Maxwell Parker for the first time.

He wore a dark blue suit, standing in front of her, so tall and grand.

He looked at her, thin and frail, and spoke slowly: "Melody, I am your father. I have come to take you home. Will you come with me?"

That was at five years old, the first time she met the legendary father.

Without hesitation, she nodded, "I am willing."

That year, Maxwell Parker took her back, to the place she would live for thirteen years.

From then on, she no longer lived a life of constant hunger but officially became Ava Parker’s exclusive servant.

At first, she thought her younger sister was mischievous, that as the older sister, she should let her have her way.

At first, she thought that was her home, those people were her hard-won family, and she should cherish them earnestly and diligently.

But later...

Later, everything gradually made her understand, that place might indeed be a home, but not Melody Parker’s home.

And those people might truly be relatives, but they were the coldest relatives in the world, inferior even to strangers, prone to treating her as a sworn enemy, seeing her as the most despicable creature, and trampling over her at will.

However, living in such a home was not completely fruitless for her.

There, from Phoebe and the neighborhood women’s gossip, she first heard about Una Sutcliffe and learned she had a mother who would sacrifice her life for her.

That day, she was squatting in the bathroom, washing Ava Parker’s teddy bear.

The women playing cards with Phoebe somehow brought up her mother.

"Phoebe, you’re indeed fortunate, marrying such a kind-hearted man like Maxwell Parker. You don’t have to do anything, just be a lady in comfort."

"Who would deny it? Una Sutcliffe just couldn’t think it through; she lost her life just to give birth to an ominous child."

"Paula, you say that, had Una Sutcliffe not been foolish, would we be sitting here playing cards with Phoebe today?"

"True, Brenda’s right indeed."

"Alas, speaking of which, Una Sutcliffe was really pitiable, giving birth to such a cursed star daughter, who brought about her death at birth. Una Sutcliffe fell from the stairs back then—it was tragic!... I still shudder thinking back on it! Phoebe, you wouldn’t know, but back then, your living room was almost soaked with Una Sutcliffe’s blood."

"Yes, back then everyone who saw the scene was frightened into screaming."

"Phoebe, your cursed star in the family, killed her own mother at such a young age, now brought back by Elder Parker, you must be cautious not to let her doom you and your daughter."

...

Later, the neighbors who came to play cards with Phoebe continued talking, but Melody Parker couldn’t hear a word anymore.

She crouched down in the bathroom, tears streaming endlessly down her little face.

Her mother died, died saving her!

She was cursed by fate, and her family rejected her!

She was a cursed star, having killed her mother from a young age!

No! She can’t stay here! She must find her mother, must go see the mother who died saving her!

Little Melody Parker sprang up abruptly and dashed out crying.

She didn’t hear any sound, naturally, she didn’t hear Phoebe calling after her; she ran out quickly, her mind filled with one strong thought: she must see her mother! Now! Immediately! At once!

Little Melody Parker ran out, lost in tears, running aimlessly, not knowing where to find Una Sutcliffe.

She ran for a long time, and when she couldn’t run anymore, she plopped down on the ground and cried bitterly.

Just then a kind-hearted aunt saw Melody Parker, crouched beside her, gently brushed her hair and asked, "Melody, what’s wrong? Why are you crying so sadly? Did Phoebe, your mom, hit you again?"

Melody Parker shook her head, raising her tear-filled eyes, asking in tears, "Auntie, I can’t find my mother, do you know where she is?"

After she asked, afraid the aunt didn’t understand, Melody Parker added, "Auntie, I mean my real mom, not Aunt Phoebe."

"Oh, poor child, it seems you know." The aunt gently tucked Melody Parker’s hair behind her ear. "Melody, your mom is buried in the Mid-hill Cemetery, you should go and see her, so many years have passed, you’ve grown up, it’s time you visit her."

"Thank you, Auntie!" Melody Parker quickly thanked the aunt, then stood up and ran towards the Mid-hill Cemetery.

At the Mid-hill Cemetery, Melody Parker found Una Sutcliffe’s tombstone.

On the tombstone, there was a photograph of a woman.

The woman in the photograph smiled brightly at her.

That’s her mother, the one who fought life and death to give birth to her and protected her life with her own.

She was so beautiful, indescribably beautiful, like an angel accidentally fallen from heaven.

She was dignified and gracious, so warm and approachable, yet she could only be attached to a cold, stone tombstone.

That day, Melody Parker knelt in front of Una Sutcliffe’s grave for a long time, crying for a long time.

Looking at her mother’s gently smiling photo on the tombstone, Melody Parker wanted to cry herself to death there, wanted to stay with her most loving and caring mother.

But when the blazing sun shone on her the next day, after crying herself to sleep and staying in the cemetery all night.

She solidified a belief: she must survive! Must strive to live!

Her life was traded with her mom’s life!

She cannot be selfish, cannot escape, she must smile at the world, must live brilliantly!

Melody Parker wiped her tears and returned to the Parker family.

Maxwell Parker didn’t care about her absence for a night, didn’t ask a single question.

Seeing her back, Phoebe grabbed her and beat her.

While beating her, Phoebe kept cursing, "You wretched star, not only did you kill your own mom, but now here to plague me! If it weren’t for you, unlucky brat, I wouldn’t have lost so much money! So young and already spending nights away from home. Tell me, where did you sneak off to!"